Howard Dean last night refused to apologize as rivals blasted him at a Democratic debate for saying he wanted to court Southern whites who sport Confederate flags on their pickup trucks.

“I make no apologies for reaching out to poor white people,” Dean, the Democratic front-runner, told a youth-oriented “Rock the Vote” debate.

The Rev. Al Sharpton led the anti-Dean attack and accused the former Vermont governor of trying to “stereotype” poor whites by using “America’s swastika.”

Sharpton added, “I don’t think you are a bigot, but I think it was insensitive and I think you ought to apologize . . .You appear to be too arrogant to say, ‘I’m wrong’ and go on.”

But Dean stood his ground, insisting, “We’re not going to win in this country anymore as Democrats if we don’t have a big tent . . . You’re right, Reverend. I am not a bigot and Jesse Jackson Jr. has endorsed me and stood up for what I said.”

Dean has repeatedly talked about courting Confederate-flag fans, and won applause for his stance at a Democratic National Committee meeting – but rivals last weekend began attacking him for it.

At the debate, North Carolina Sen. John Edwards drawled to Dean, “The last thing we need in the South is somebody like you coming down and telling us what we need to do.”

Challenged to admit he was wrong, Dean retorted, “No I wasn’t, John Edwards . . . I think the Confederate flag is a racist symbol. But I think there are a lot of poor people who fly that flag.”

Hoping to win over younger voters, the candidates tried to look hip at the face-off – Wesley Clark and Rep. Dennis Kucinich (Ohio) in black jackets over black sweaters, Sharpton in a three-piece suit.

Asked if they’d smoked marijuana, only Dean, Edwards and Sen. John Kerry (Mass.) said yes.

Today in New York, Dean plans to ask supporters to vote on whether he should copy President Bush and opt out of campaign-spending limits. Rivals plan to blast Dean as a hypocrite.

Meanwhile, a new poll found President Bush’s ratings have slipped, but he still beats every Democrat. Gephardt came closest, trailing by 5 percentage points, while Clark did worst, trailing by 19.